Dust Devils - A Girls Und Panzer Story

Chapter 35

Saturday, May 10th 2013

Ever since the team got organized last October, they have gone through a lot. The first challenge they overcame hit them early on. When the ATA made the move to start the national tournament earlier than announced, as to not overlap with the world competition, it gave the team mere weeks to get ready for their first match as opposed to the original few months. Just weeks to go from complete amateurs to being component tankers. This they succeeded in, even though some of the team privately held doubts if what they have done in those weeks was enough to get ready. This doubt was eradicated when they won their first match against Bascom. Then there was their match with Oceanside. Their T95, a heavily armored tank destroyer, was a machine that no gun on their team could ever hope to penetrate from the front. And its front was always pointing at them, the 105mm gun ending anything it fired upon. It took some last-minute brainstorming to come up with a way to deal with that machine, using the hills against them. Another victory and another learning experience gained. Their match with Oceanside gave Mojave Rose valuable insight on using the environment against their opponents. Their following match with Valentine was rather one-sided. A well-placed shot in an abandoned gasoline depot ignited a huge explosion that took out ten enemy vehicles. That and the sandstorm that enveloped the battlefield disorientated an already weakened team that Mojave Rose swept them up. All of those matches were taken seriously but they were fun and there was this healthy spirit of competition that existed between the schools. With their Montana match, though, things were different. Tankery matches were exhausting for a lot of reasons, but at Montana, it was even more so. There was this hate that shouldn't have been there in the first place. This and all the other personal adversities experienced by each member of the team outside of the team made them feel continuously weary. And if anyone on the team could claim to be the most tired was Valarie, and not one person would object to that. Being not only the commander of the T-44 but also the team's captain, these two roles hung on her like a heavy iron chain. Though she did very much enjoy the responsibilities these roles entail, it did wear her down. That and enduring homelessness for a time made Valarie, along with everyone else, deserving for some rest and relaxation. So, when Redwood announced that the team was going to have a weekend getaway to the mountains, they were all overcome with relief and eagerness.

"To reward you all for the work and effort you have put in this team, we're all going to spend the weekend up in Big Bear. We're going to do nothing tankery related. Just enjoy the fresh mountain air." he told them earlier in the week.

So, early Saturday morning, the team met at the school. All of them wearing outdoorsy clothing along with bags of their belongings to get them through the weekend. Each commander was instructed to bring a tent big enough for their crews as they were all going to share it. Now, this wasn't an issue at all as when the team traveled, crews shared hotel rooms. For Jacqueline, however, she noted a possible complication.

"Six of us in a hotel room is already pretty cramped but in a tent? We'll all gonna be bunched up." she determined.

"Well, that works in our favor actually!" Lana said, the driver of the SU-14. "It gets cold in Big Bear at night so all of us bundled together will make us nice and warm."

"Hmm. That's true."

Among the crowd, Ray had his things at the ready. One of the things he was bringing, however, was drawing some curiosity. Natalie approached him and eyed it with intrigue.

"What's with the cooler?" she asked, pointing.

"Ingredients," he answered, tapping the cooler with his foot. "I plan on doing some campfire cooking."

"What'll you be cooking?"

Ray pulled the cooler closer to him with his legs.

"You're just gonna have to wait and see."